Los Angeles: After winning Top Female Rap Artist last year, rapper Cardi B is the leading contender at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards with 21 nominations.

NBC and Dick Clark Productions on Thursday announced that the 26-year-old rapper is up for honours including Top Artist, Top Female Artist, Top Rap Artist, Top Selling Song and Top Rap Album, reports billboard.com.

The "I like it" rapper is nominated 21 times in 18 categories -- just missing the record for most nominations set by Drake and The Chainsmokers, who each had 22 in 2017. Cardi B will compete against herself in three categories -- Top Hot 100 Song, Top Selling Song, and Top Collaboration.

Following Cardi B, Drake and Post Malone each have 17 nominations. Travis Scott is up for 12 awards, and XXXTentacion is up for 10.

Among the other nominees are Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper -- who are up for the chart achievement award, top soundtrack for "A Star Is Born", and Top Selling song for "Shallow". Gaga is up separately for Top Song Sales Artist.

For this year's ceremony, there are two fan-voted categories -- Top Social Artist, and Chart Achievement. American singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson will host the award ceremony in Las Vegas on May 1.